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| Frederick William I, Elector of Brandenburg, King of Prussia Hohenzollern 1 | |
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| Succeeded: 1713 To 1740 Brandenburg, Bavaria |
| Succeeded: 1713 To 1740 Prussia |
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Individual:
Frederick William I of Prussia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
(Redirected from Friedrich Wilhelm I of Prussia)
Frederick William I of Prussia (in German: Friedrich Wilhelm I), of the House of Hohenzollern (August 14, 1688 - May 31, 1740), oftenknown as 'the Soldier-King', reigned as King of Prussia (1713 - 1740).
His father, Frederick I of Prussia, had successfully acquired the title King for the margraves of Brandenburg. Frederick Williamconcentrated on building up the military power of Prussia.
During his reign, Frederick William I did much to centralize and improve Prussia. He replaced mandatory military service among themiddle class with an annual tax, established primary schools, andresettled East Prussia (which had been devastated by the plague in1709).
Frederick William was an extremely able administrator. He opposed all superfluous spending, so long as it did not concern his army.Frederick William paid the consumer tax he himself had imposed, and nocandles were left burning at court. He lived frugally and worked hardand tirelessly for the welfare of his people. He encouraged farming,reclaimed marshes, stored grain in good times and sold it in badtimes. He dictated the manual of Regulations for State Officials,containing 35 chapters and 297 paragraphs in which every publicservant in Prussia could find his duties precisely set out. A ministeror councillor failing to attend a committee meeting would lose sixmonths' pay. If he absented himself a second time, he would bedischarged from the Royal service.
In short, Frederick William was extremely concerned by every little aspect of his country so that it suited the needs of his army. Hisrule was absolutist and he was a firm autocrat. He practiced rigideconomy, and at his death there was a large surplus in the treasury.The Prussian army was made an efficient instrument of war. AlthoughFrederick William built up one of the most powerful armies in Europeand loved military pomp, he was essentially a peaceful man. Heintervened briefly in the Great Northern War, but gained littleterritory.
Though he was peaceful, he was by no means gentle. His eldest surviving son was Fritz, born in 1712. Frederick William wanted him tobecome a fine soldier. As a little child Fritz was woken each morningby the firing of a cannon. At the age of 6 he was given his ownregiment of children to drill as cadets and a year later he was givena miniature arsenal. Fritz was beaten for being thrown off a boltinghorse and for wearing gloves in cold weather. Frederick William wouldfrequently mistreat Fritz (he preferred his younger sibling AugustWilliam), executing one of his closest friends, Hans Hermann vonKatte, and almost disinheriting him.
Frederick William despised musicians, scientists and intellectuals, as well as all things French (in stunning contrast to his son Fritz).Fritz would become the greatest King of Prussia, Frederick II.
He acquired a reputation for his fondness for military display - leading to his special efforts to hire the tallest men he could findin all of Europe for a special regiment nicknamed Potsdam Giants.
Frederick William and his wife Sophia Dorothea of Hanover (daughter of King George I of Great Britain) had eight surviving children:
Wilhelmine of Bayreuth (1709 - 1758)
Friedrich II of Prussia (1712-1786)
Friederike Luise (1714-1784)
Philippine Charlotte (1716-1801)
Sophie Dorothee Marie (1719-1765)
Luise Ulrike of Sweden (1720-1782)
August Wilhelm Prince of Prussia (1722-1758)
Anna Amalia Princess of Prussia (1723-1787)
Prinz Heinrich (1726-1802)
August Ferdinand (1730-1813)
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- Title: Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia
Publication: http://en.wikipedia.org/
Quality: 1
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